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SYLLABUS FOR LIBRARY SCIENCE 101: STEPS TO SUCCESSFUL RESEARCH |
Units: 1 Please contact librarians@ohlone.edu for further information about this course. This course introduces students to methods of library research. The course focuses on how to find and evaluate information from print and non-print resources. Students will develop an annotated bibliography on a topic of their choice. They will learn to explore reference sources to bring their topic into focus and to use online catalogs, periodical databases, and the Internet to find books, articles and Web sites on their topics. They will learn to evaluate these items according to their purpose, authority, content, accuracy, and currency. By the end of the course students will be able to:
Students will need to complete course requirements in an online environment and should begin the course with some computer literacy. They will also need to be self-motivated learners.
Textbook: The Ohlone Bookstore sells this textbook, and, you can buy it from amazon.com. You can also try to buy it used from sellers such as classbook.com or ecampus.com. (The ISBN number is 155570588X.) In addition, two copies of the textbook are on reserve at the Ohlone Library; call number: BK923. All work for this course, including your annotated bibliography, must be your original work. Your annotated bibliography must consist of entries selected by you, and annotations must consist of your own ideas, written in your own words, and not copied from a review or any other source. Copying or paraphrasing the words or ideas of another without crediting that source is plagiarism and will result in a significant loss of points for the assignment and a likely "no credit" grade for the course. Since plagiarism is one of the topics covered in this class, it will be difficult for you to argue that you were not aware of this issue. Don't do it! This course is delivered using WebCT course management software. Information about this process is available at the Ohlone College Distance Learning Web site. Weekly topics & reading assignments Week One: Successful Research and the Library. Introduction.Week Two: Selecting and refining a topic. Narrowing topic.Week Three: Finding and selecting books. Library of Congress Subject Headings.Week Four: Finding and selecting periodicals. Boolean searching.Week Five: Searching the Internet. Web browsers.Week Six: Writing the Bibliography. Review of citations and annotation. Each week includes the following assignments:
Please check the Course Calendar within WebCT (available from the course home page) for due dates for these assignments. The final project is an annotated bibliography due at the end of this course. The bibliography must focus on a topic of your choice. You can select a topic related to research you are doing in another class or a topic that relates to a personal interest. The bibliography will demonstrate your research skills: you should aim to find the best research on your topic. Any reader should be able to use your bibliography to become informed about your topic. The bibliography is graded as follows:
There is an example annotated bibliography in the course materials.
Remember that your annotated bibliography must consist of entries selected by you, and annotations must consist of your own ideas, written in your own words, and not copied from a review or any other source. Copying or paraphrasing the words or ideas of another without crediting that source is plagiarism and will result in a significant loss of points for the assignment and a likely "no credit" grade for the course. Please contact librarians@ohlone.edu with your questions, comments, and suggestions. Terms and Conditions of Use & Disclaimer. Copyright © 2008 Ohlone College. All rights reserved. This page is located at http://www.ohlone.edu/org/library/101syllabus.htm. |